The use of steam in a washing machine offers various advantages and is gaining wider acceptance. In a pre-wash phase, steam may be introduced with the water to help soak the articles in the wash basket more thoroughly. During the wash phase, steam may be introduced with the detergent to increase the temperature in the wash tub to dissolve the detergent more efficiently, thereby improving the overall cleaning ability of the machine. During the post-wash phase, steam may be added to increase the temperature in the tub to sterilize the articles. The steam also functions to “soften” the clothes articles to remove any hard wrinkles that may have formed while the clothes were tumbled in the tub.
Steam may also serve to reduce water and power consumption of the washing machine by using the steam to heat the wash water instead of an immersion heater. With an immersion heater, a relatively larger volume of water is used than is actually needed for the wash cycle to ensure that the heater remains immersed in water (to prevent damage to the heater). This excess water must also be heated.
While washing machines with steam generators are known and used, the efficiency (and benefits) of these machines depends on large part on the ability to circulate the steam through and around the articles in the wash basket in an efficient manner.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a steam-augmented washing machine with an improved means for generating adequate steam circulation within and around the wash basket.